For the Italian national ice hockey team, the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics ended in the round of 16 against Switzerland.
Even if the big sporting surprise didn’t materialize, the “Azzurri” presented themselves as unpleasant opponents against some of the best nations in the world. The team’s potential shone again and again, especially against Sweden and Slovakia. Defender Daniel Glira from HC Falkensteiner Pustertal looks back on this highlight in an interview with the win2day ICE Hockey League – and at the same time turns the focus back to everyday life in the league.
Even if there was no sense of achievement in the form of a victory for Italy at the end, the experience of competing against absolute top stars was of enormous value for Glira. “It was an incredible experience. Except for the game against Finland, we performed really well against teams full of NHL players.”
Unique opportunity on and off the ice
His personal highlight? “Competing with the best players in the world was of course the greatest thing. It was a unique opportunity because this time all the NHL players were there. Away from the ice, life in the Olympic Village was something very special – meeting so many top athletes from a wide variety of nations and sports was incredibly exciting,” says Glira.
The defender honestly describes how demanding the games against the world ice hockey elite were: “Of course it was very tiring and difficult, but at the same time incredibly instructive. I’m proud of how we presented ourselves.” Despite the early elimination, Glira, who played all four games, is still proud of his performances.
Hope for a lasting effect
Given the sold-out arenas and the great atmosphere at the games, the question arises as to the long-term effect on ice hockey in Italy. “Ice hockey is a beautiful sport that unfortunately still receives too little attention in Italy. I am convinced that people can get excited about it and hope that this tournament contributes to that. Maybe we will be able to keep the momentum going,” says Glira optimistically.
Back to everyday league lifeThere isn’t much time to catch your breath: After the Olympic highlight, the focus for Glira and HC Falkensteiner Pustertal turns back to the decisive phase of the win2day ICE Hockey League. The home game against Hydro Fehérvár AV19 awaits on Friday. “We have an intensive program ahead of us over the next seven days. Of course it’s tiring to get back into the game straight away, but we want to prepare ourselves as best we can for the hot phase. We want to get back into our rhythm of play quickly.”
ice.hockey.at Image: Valentina Gallina/FISG
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